Diabetic Sues Williamsburg Music Hall For Banning Snacks

WILLIAMSBURG, BROOKLYN — A Bronx man is suing the Music Hall of Williamsburg because they won’t let him bring healthy snacks to a Russian pop band concert.

Jose Reyes filed suit against the North Sixth Street hall earlier this month because his diabetes — and the venue’s policy banning outside snacks — prohibited him from buying a ticket to see a Nogu Svelo! concert, city records show.

The suit, filed in Brooklyn Federal Court on Aug. 16, argues that the Music Hall of Williamsburg policy discriminates against diabetics such as Reyes who rely on a restricted diet and quick access to snacks to keep their insulin levels stable.

Reyes suits asked the venue to change its policy so that he might listen to Nogu Svelo! — a Russian pop band with a focus on parody — slated to play the hall on Sept. 15.

“[Reyes] cannot eat outside of his meal plan, except that he must snack to boost his blood sugar if it gets dangerously low,” the suit says.

“All Defendant must do is stop enforcing its draconian anti-food policy against disabled people who need food to treat their condition.”

The Williamsburg Hall of Music is among the Bowery Presents conglomerate that runs venues across New York City, all of which ban outside food and drink, according to the company’s website.

Reyes is also suing the Barclays Center in Fort Greene and the Ford Ampitheater in Coney Island for similar food ban policies, according to the New York Post.

Bowery Presents, Reyes’ attorney C. K. Lee and a press representative for Nogu Svelo! did not immediately respond to Patch’s requests for comment.

Photo courtesy of GoogleMaps/Sept. 2017